PERCEPTIONS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL CHILD ABUSE IN SINGAPORE

Abstract

Perceptions of psychological child abuse in Singapore were examined across four groups of respondents: local laypersons, American expatriates, social workers and medical practitioners. Vignettes depicting 15 subtypes of psychological child abuse were used. Respondents were asked to rate the harmfulness of an action, judge whether it is psychological abuse or neglect, and generate reasons for their responses. They were also assessed on their reporting attitudes. Results showed that subtype of abuse and respondent group affected harm ratings, attributions of harm and reporting attitudes. Locals deferred more to social norms; Americans registered less tolerance than locals towards some parental actions; and social workers were generally conservative in their responses. Medical practitioners had similar responses to social workers. Case reports by professionals revealed certain trends in the incidence of psychological child abuse. Future efforts could work towards developing culture-sensitive definitional guidelines to assist in handling psychological child abuse cases.